Vancouver’s natural beauty is worth protecting. Our children not only need places to play, but also places to enjoy and explore nature. We all need places of tranquil refuge from our busy lives. The animals and birds that help make our city lives enjoyable need places to nest and raise their young.
People and nature in balance is my vision for our parks and recreation system.

21 July 2009

Vancouver park board approves RV parking during Olympics

By David Karp, Vancouver Sun July 20, 2009

VANCOUVER — Recreational vehicles will be allowed to stay overnight in city parking lots at Jericho Beach and Spanish Banks during the Olympics, the Vancouver park board decided Monday night.

The board voted 4-1 to approve a staff recommendation to allow roughly 365 RVs to park for $95 per night, despite residents’ protests.

Green party commissioner Stuart Mackinnon was the lone opponent.

The city sent information about the proposal to 460 homes near the beaches, and received 23 e-mails, letters and phone calls opposing the move, with just three communications in favour.

“We were confident that the business case was a good one,” said Vision commissioner Aaron Jasper.

“The RVs are coming, and this is a way for us to do our part to help with the logistics of the Olympics, and to do this in a controlled way that has minimal impact to Vancouverites.”

The city will pay Duckworth Management Group Ltd. $134,832 to manage the sites.

According to the staff report, the only RV site close to downtown is the Capilano RV Park, which had a waiting list of more than 100 people as of February.

Stuart Mackinnon

Stuart has been fighting against privatization of our parks for many years. First elected as a Vancouver Park Board Commissioner from 2008-2011, Stuart was re-elected in 2014 and continues to be committed to maintaining neighbourhood recreational services and keeping the 'public' in public spaces.